Love Blooms Late
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Takes place just during the month of training for the Chunin exams, and beyond. Sakura beat Ino, Thanks to Naruto's warning, but Sasuke pays her no heed once more. Pairing undecided. NaruxHina, Or Narusaku. VOTE NOW!
1. Confliction

It was the chunin exam preliminaries and Sakura was fighting Ino. The two girls were out of chakra, so they both put everything they had into one last attack. However Sakura was to exhausted to move. _'I can't do it, I'm exhausted!' _Suddenly she heard a familiar voice. "Sakura you can do it! I believe in you!" _'Naruto? He's right... I CAN DO THIS!' _The two girls ran at each other but _This time _Sakura ducked Ino's blow, the fist of her friend shooting over her head.

Ino looked down and saw her friend below her, ready to finish it. And she knew that she wasn't going to be able to move in time. _'Oh man! This is gonna hurt!'_Then Sakura put everything she had into the next attack, her green eyes narrwoing her face firm. "This is it!"Sakura then drove her fist into Ino's chin, the brutal uppercut knocking the blonde for a loop, and into the air from the impact, before. Ino collapsed to the ground, out cold. All was silent for a moment, then Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs, practically jumping for joy. "WOOOOHOOO! SAKURA YOU DID IT! AWESOME!"

Sakura smiled and waved up at Naruto, then slowly walked up the steps as she was declared the winner, making her way toward Sasuke.

She leaned against the wall for a moment, to catch her breath, before beaming at the solemn Uchiha. "How was that Sasuke? Did I prove how far I'm willing to go for you?" Sasuke sighed and turned away. "Whatever. Jeez you're so pathetic." and so Sakura sighed in sadness for what seemed like the millionth time, as she turned Naruto, who was starting his own match...

--

Naruto grinned as Sakura yelled at him to get back up. "Wow. Never thought she'd ever cheer for me."

--

(Minutes later)

Naruto grinned as he brought his boot down on Kiba's face, snapping the head of the Inuzuka downward, in midair, and effectively KO'ing him. "UZUMAKI BARRAGE!"

Sakura pumped her fist into the air, as Kiba fell to the ground, and Naruto was declared the winner, her tone triumphant as Naruto walked up the steps. "CHA! Thatta boy Naruto! You kicked his butt into next week!" Then, on some insinct, she wrapped him in a hug, not noticing the surprised looks she got from everyone, not thinking at all.

Then her brain caught up to her, and she realized what she was doing. _'Hold it! Why am I hugging him?!' _Her face turned a bright pink, and she promptly soved him off, ignoring the sad look on his face as he reluctantly let go of her, their faces both a bright pink. Sakura was the first to speak, her tone hesitant as she backed up. "Er...sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Just pretend it never happened." Then she turned away from him, not noticing the saddened look on his face...

_'But it did happen Sakura-chan. And right now I'm thinking that I would've been better off if you didn't hug me, and THEN deny it ever happening..._

--

It was now Hinata's match, and despite her best efforts, she was nearly out of breath now, having gone all out against Neji, who was berating her for trying to defy her destiny. He HATED people like that, guys who thought that they were all high and mighty, who looked down on others, it drove him wild with anger.

Naruto glared at Neji as Hinata struggled to stand. "You...JERK! Shut up about this whole destiny thing! Hinata can do whatever, and BE whatever she wants to be!" Now he focused hsi gaze on Hinata, who was looking up at him, her pale eyes going wide, and her ears hearing every word he said. "Hinata! You can do it! I BELIEVE IN YOU! NOW YOU JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!"

But she saw Neji's glare on her, and she faltered, tenting her fingers. "I-I d-don't k-know i-if I c-can...

But again Naruto bolstered her confidence, drowning out her hesitation, his shouted reply firm, and serious.

"YOU _CAN_DO IT HINATA! YOU SAID YOU'D WIN AND YOU NEVER GO BACK ON YOUR WORD! THAT'S YOUR NINDO! NOW KICK HIS ASS! SHOW HIM HOW STRONG YOU REALLY ARE! I'LL BE CHEERING YOU ON THE WHOLE WAY! Now _that _gave her heaps of confidence. Hinata smiled, despite the angry glare of her cousin, feeling her energy coming back at his words _'Naruto-kun... he's cheering for me! He believes in me!' _Then Neji spoke, jeering up at the Uzumaki. "You're one to talk Naruto! You were dead last in the academy and you are the weakest genin I've ever seen! The only reason you beat Kiba is because you were _very, very _lucky, and I know for a fact that you can NEVER reach Chunin rank!"

Neji continued his rant, not noticing that his shy cousin was glaring daggers and him, and boy was she PISSED! Nobody, but NOBODY insulted Naruto, _especially not _in front of her. But still he foolishly went on, unaware of what he was bringing down on himself. "Naruto I think that you are a disgrace to all ninja- and suddenly he felt Hinata's give of a MASSIVE amount of killer intent, making his eyes narrow. _'What is-_

He turned around to see a VEEEERY angry Hinata coming right at him ready to fight him once more, ready to pound him into the earth, pale eyes blazing with unmatched fury.

"NEEEEEEEEEEEJIIIIIIIIIII!" She shrieked and disapeared, fading out of view, only to reappear in his blind spot, her cousin unaware of her, until she tapped him on the shoulder and he spun around... just in time to see get a fist to his left eye.

He winced in pain as she nailed him in the eye with her palm, bruising it instantly but not blinding him, as he removed his hand from the swelling eye. "AAAAARRRGH! That was a lucky shot! It won't happen again, I can promise you that much!" But lucky shot or not, Hinata shrieked back at him. "No one insults Naruto-kun like that! ESPECIALLY NOT YOU!" Then she got into a stance that was _very _familiar to Neji, getting ready to take a very risky gamble. But even though he was now wounded in his left eye, the Hyuuga still thought he could win, and he smirked smugly at her.

"That won't work Hinata, you are far too inexperienced to attempt that move." This stupid taunt only made her angrier and her hands blazed with chakra, her face as hard as stone, her voice as cold as ice as she began. "8 TRIGRAMS: 64 PALMS!" She blurred forward and was on Neji in an instant. "2 PALM! 4 PALM! 8 PALM! 16 PALM!" Now Neji was worried. _'How can this be?! She's hitting all of my chakra points perfectly!' _

And indeed she was, hitting each one like a true marksma-er markswoman, and sealing them in an instant, focused only on bringing him pain, furious with him for insulting Naruto.

Naruto continued to cheer her on, making her go faster and faster/ "YES! GO FOR IT HINATA! FINISH HIM OFF!" Hinata struck once again, finishing her combo as she continued to advance forward, driving him back as she advanced. "32 PALM! 64 PALM!" With the last hit she blew Neji into the wall, creating a large crack in the stone from the impact, and forcing the arrogant Hyuuga into unconsciousness.

_'How? How can this be? How could I have lost..._

Hayate smiled and nodded at the panting girl, who looked about ready to pass out, wobbling on her feet now. "I can proudly say that Hinata Hyuuga is the winner of this match." Hinata smiled, and then fell, right into the arms of Naruto, who had somehow seen that coming before it happened. His blue orbs gazed down at her, and she fought her blush, making it a pale pink as he spoke. "Hinata-chan! That was awesome! You kicked his butt out there! I'm so proud to have a really strong friend like you!" The HyuugA girl managed a nod, happy thoughts whirling through her head. _'He used 'chan'! He thinks I'm strong! He's PROUD of me! This is the best day ever!'_

Then her body failed her, and she passed out. And NarutO placed her in the arms of Kurenai, who smiled down at the fainted Hyuuga. "Well, I guess she has some motivation now...

--

After the Hokage gave his speech, Sakura turned to face Sasuke, but he was already leaving with Kakashi, to get a head start on their training. Somewhat miffed, she cupped her hands over her mouth, and shouted after him. "Sasuke-kun! Can I train with you and Sensei?" Kakashi sighed as he stopped, Sasuke reluctantly doing so as well. The Jonin didn't sound happy about this, but he still said it. "Sorry Sakura. But only Sasuke can handle this kind of training. We'll see you in a month."

And before she could protest, the two vanished in a swirl of leaves, leaving a dejected Sakura behind. "Aw man... She moaned, being ignored by Sasuke again. Then she felt Naruto's hand on her shoulder, and stiffened at the touch, her body going rigid as he spoke. "Don't worry Sakura-chan! You can train with me if you-

Then he dropped flat to the floor, ducking under her incoming punch, a sad look on his face as he saw the angry look she gave him. "Jeez. What was that for?" Sakura gaped at his quick dodge, but recovered herself as he rose to his feet. "I told you to keep your hands of me! I only love Sasuke-kun! Not-

But then, for once in his life, Naruto just blew Sakura off, and turned to walk away shouting over his shoulder as he did so, tone melancholy. "The offers still good if you change you're mind." Then he turned around, and Hinata, who had actually BEAT Neji, thanks to HIS encouragement, stifled a gasp as she saw the sad look in his blue eyes, her Byakugan picking up that barely noticeable tear that fell from his face as he went on. _'Naruto-kun...You look so sad.._

"I'll see ya around then. Saskura-_san_." The Haruno stiffened at the formal tone, not catching the hint of venom in it, and was about to question him on it, when he just disappeared in a swirl of leaves as well.

And a second later, she had a red hand mark on her face, courtesy of a VERY angry Hinata, who would NOT stand to see her beloved Nartuo-kun insulted like that. Her pale eyes bored into Sakura's her shyness momentarily forgotten in her anger as she spoke. "Sakura. Why are you so cruel to Naruo-kun? Can't you see how much he likes you? How much you're hurting him?" And then she too vanished in a swirl of leaves, leaving Sakura to think on what had just happened.


	2. Sunset

Naruto let out a deep breath as he stood atop the stone face of the Hokages, currently positioned atop of the fourth, staring down at the hustle and bustle of the village the sun beginning to set as the wind blew through his short blonde hair. "Man, I really should apologize to Sakura. I guess I kinda flew of the handle there." Somehow, whenever he came here, he always cooled off. And he did feel sorry for acting like that, but did she ALWAYS have to bop him on the head? He really didn't like that!

He sighed as he turned away from the gorgeous view, the place giving him that soothing feeling as always, and was surprised to see Hinata sitting on atop the stone head of the first Hoakge. _'Huh? What's she doing here? I've never noticed her here before..._ His curiosity piqued, he cupped his mouth with his left hand, and called out to her, waving with his right hand to draw her attention. "OI! Hinata! What are you doing here?"

--

Hinata had been sitting there for quite awhile, arriving at said spot, just moments after he did, knowing that he often went up here to think, or just to blow off some steam and be alone. And she had seen the miserable look on his face change only just recently, waiting for him to cool off enough, still shy around him, despite her brief boldness earlier against Neji. _'Why couldn't I just stay like that? I-I'm sure Naruto-kun would pay more attention to me if I was like Sa-_

She shook her head at that thought. No! Despite the fact that she envied Sakura's confidence, she did NOT want to be like her. She would HATE herself, if she was always beating up poor Naruto, all for just showing her some simple kindess. _'She's always so mean to him. Always ignoring his affections...If that was me, I would've said yes the first time he asked me out..._

But when she heard him call her name, she slowly turned her head to see him waving at her, and smiled shyle as she pushed herslef up off the ground, rising to her feet, cursing herself as she nervously tented her fingers. "Y-yes Naruto-kun?" She felt her cheeks turn a bright pink as he slowly crosed the distance between them arms held behind his head as he strolled forward. "I said what brings you up here? Do you always go here before the sun sets?"

The shy girl managed a nervous nod, as he stopped, less than a foot away from her, praying to Kami that she wouldn't faint, as she turned her body, so she was facing the setting sun, Naruto doing the same, now crossing his arms in front of him. As she spoke, she shyly edged her body towards his, the two of them watching the sun slowly set, the large red orb slowly sinking behind the horizon. "Y-yes, Its nice to come here after a long day. Its always so peaceful here, and the sunset is always really pretty to watch." Naruto closed his eyes for a moment as he nodded, awed as always by the beautiful scene. "I hear ya. It really is one of best parts of my day. Just coming up here, and looking down at the village- a cool breeze blew up, making Hinata shiver, having forgotten her thick jacket back at the Prelimanry arena, in her haste to catch up to the blond, clad only in her usually unseen black t-shirt, forgetting that it was November.

And so Naruto did the thing any gentleman would do, even if he was TOTALLY clueless when it came to Hinata's feelings for him. He unzipped his oragne jacket, easily slidding the zipper down, and in one smooth motion, he removed it, and draped it over her shoulders, he Hyuuga giving of a startled eep of surprise as she felt the warm jacket placed around her shoulders, the blush flaring up agains as she tilted her head down, holding tightly to the still warm jacket. "W-Why did you-

Naruto shrugged as crossed his bare arms, clad in a black t-shirt of his own, exposing the tan skin. "You looked cold. So I gave you my jacket." Then he smiled as he turned his head to look at her, blissfully unaware of implications of his simple gesture, and his words. "You can keep it if you want, I've got plenty at my house, so I won't mind."

Poor Hinata. She was going to faint at this rate. So the girl, her face beet red, like a cherry tomato, nodded, as she pulled the warm coat about herself. "O-Okay...t-thank you N-Naruto-kun."

The unaware blond nodded as they watched the sun set, then on a spur of the moment, he looked at his watch, a thoughtful expression on his face as his thoughts drifted elsewhere. _'Hmm... I know! I'll get Sakura an apology present! But I have ten minutes before the shops close..._

He turned his gaze bck to Hinata, and for some reason, his hand fell on her shoulder as he spoke, making the Hyuuga go as stiff as a boarad at the touch, as he spoke rapidly. "Well, this was nice Hinata. Let's do it again sometime. But right now, I gotta go get Sakura an apology gift! I was REALLY rude to her back there!"

Snapping his fingers, he decided to make up for, (in his opinion) being so rude to Sakura, and leapt down off the faces, his feet catching against the wall, and with chakra sticking his feet to the flat surface, he ran down the mountain like a madman, hoping that store was still open. He glanced at his watch again, and his eyes got as wide as dinner plates as he saw that it was 6:55 P.M.

He had five minutes.

"ACK! GOTTA HUUUUURRY!"

Leaving a saddened Hinata in his wake, a tear falling from her pale eyes as she spoke to the empty air. "Naruto-kun...

--

Sakura sighed as she looked at the portrait of her an her team, smiling slightly as she saw Naruto holding two fingers behind Sasuke's head, while the Uchiha had turned his body away from her, an annoyed lookon his face, as in the picture, she had attempted to nuzzle herslef next to him, a wide smile on her own face, and Kakashi had a bemused grin on his face as he looked down on his three students in the photo. "Maybe I was a little harsh...

Just then, her mother poke her head through the door, clad ina pair of black sweats, and a pink t-shirt, looking like an older version of her only daughter, a smile on her face as she spoke. "Sakura, that charming teammate of yours is here, and he has something for you." The girl's head immediately jerked up at that. "Sasuke-kun's here?! And he brought me a gift?!" Her mother snorted in annoyance, not seeing how _that _one held her daughter's affections. _'I don't know what she sees in that boy. There's no way he'll EVER be allowed ot date my daughter. Not some emo punk like him!'_ "Nope. Its Naruto. Honestly though, I think you'd be much better off with that boy anyway, after all-

Sakura's cheeks turned beet red as she ran past her mother, not wanting to hear the rest, as she shot down the stairs, careful not to speak to loudly. "MOM! We're just friends!"


	3. The Gifts and a Change of Heart

**AHA! ITS OFFICIAL! THE PAIRING SHALL BE...BY A WIN OF TWO VOTES...NaruxHinaxSaku!**

Sakura took a deep breath to calm herself as she approached the door, her sandaled feet barely making a sound as she crossed the tiled floor, reminding herself to be nice to her teammate this time, and not just fly off the handle at him again, punching him to death before she even talked to him. _'I really DID overeact...need to work on my temper around him..._

Sparing a quick glance in the nearby mirror, positioned next to the wall, she adjusted her short hair, making sure she looked presentable, despite her rather casual outfit, consisting of a pair of faded blue jeans, and a pink tank top. _'Okay, I guess this'll do for now..._Then, she grasped the doorknob and pulled it towards her, revealing a smiling Naruto, still wearing his black t-shirt, both arms behind his back, obviously hiding something behind it. For a second the two just stared at each other, not used to seeing his/her teammate in such casual attire.

But Naruto recovered himself quickly, and showed her his right hand, revealing a red rose, all of the thorns plucked from it, and a card tied to the stem, with her name written on it, and he grinned as she took it, holding it her left hand, and giving him a small smile as he spoke, his left hand still hidden as he talked, cheery as ever. "Here. I thought you might like these, Sakura-chan." Unbeknownst to him, Sakura inwardly breathed a small sigh of relief, strangely glad that he was using 'chan' at the end of her name again.

_'Wait a second. Why Am I happy about that? Its only Naruto, so why would it matter-_

Then she was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Naruto speak again. "So, did you give my offer any thought?" Then he became flustered, realizing that he had left out a part, and blushing slightly at that. "I mean the training! Not that you need a lot of it, I could just give you some pointers, and help you learn some-

NOW he revealed his left hand, and in it were two scrolls, and Sakura's emerald eyes widened as she recognized that they were Ninjutsu techniques, her startled reply cutting him off as she took them. "Naruto! How did you buy these?! Ninjutsu scrolls like theses cost-

Naruto cut HER off now, by nodding, and revealing his frog wallet, which was half empty now. "Yeah, but I still had a lot of money saved up from all of the missions we did, and that A-ranked mission to the land of the waves. They did cost a lot, but as soon as I saw them, I just thought of you, and so I bought em!"

Now he made an opening gesture with his hands, his expression eager. "You're gonna love em! Open the blue one first! I got that one cause last week you said you _really _wanted it, but you didn't have enough money! Come on! Open it!"

Now a faint pink blush appeared on Sakura's cheeks, as she looked down at the scrolls, opening the first, which was wrapped in a blue seal, the smooth parchment opening easily under her careful touch, revealing the writing underneath it. _'Wow...He got me a rose and two jutsu scrolls..But which one did I say I- _

Her green eyes widened as she read the name of the technique, and her first train of thought was COMPLETELY derailed now.'_OH MY GOSH! He actually got me this! WOW! This is great!'_

The technique he had given her, was one of her second favorite jutsu. It was a VERY high level water jutsu, but it packed a wallop if used effectively, as Zabuza had found out the hard way, when Kakashi used it on him. It read: "Water style: Giant Vortex Jutsu. Creates a giant vortex/Whirlpool of water gathered from the moisture in the air, and directs it at your opponent, trapping them in a cortex of water. Note: This technique is at Jonin Level.

Smiling she looked up at Naruto who smiled back at her and scratched the back of his head nervously, as he spoke. "Do you like it? If you don't I can get you an-

Then he found himself cut off, as Sakura grabbed him in another hug, smiling brightly, as she chirped out her response. "Thanks Naruto! I've always wanted this! I love it!" Then her face fell as she remembered how difficult it was to attempt such a jutsu. _'Aw man! If its a Jonin Level technique, then its gonna take FOREVER to learn it!'_

And once again, Naruto took care of that, as he indicated the other scroll, which was wrapped in green parchment. "Before you open that, whaddya say about letting me give you a few training pointers if we train together? After all, if I have to fight you in the finals, I want you to be at your very best! But I won't be holding back!"

Now Sakura actually gave this some serious thought, as she put a finger to her forehead, considering his offer, and eager to see what the other scroll was. _'Hmm...I guess it wouldn't be SO bad doing just a little training..._

So she nodded, holding up one finger, her tone firm now, but a smile on her face. "Okay! I'll let you help me train, but this is NOT a date, and it'll be for only one day, and after that, I want to try this by myself. Okay?" Now Naruto's face fell at the stipulation. _'What? One day? Aw man...She's being SO difficult..._. He had been hoping to get at LEAST a week of training with her, not just one measly day,and his confusion was evident in his voice. _'Urgh...Sasuke...It always about Sasuke...That no good..._

The fox opened his eyes, feeling the pain of his vessel. **"Kit. I'm taking over for a second. I've had enough of her pushing you around like this. We're dropping that facade of yours...**

Naruto mentally sighed as he allowed mask he always wore on his face, his usual mask of overly happiness, and meekness to Sakura, to finally fall of his face, and shatter...

And smirked as he felt his old self, his REAL self begin to awaken and come into play...

"Eh...Sakura-chan, why only one day? I mean, wouldn't it be better if I helped train you for the whole month? Or are you planning to get training from someone else? Like-

Now the Haruno sighed as she opened the other scroll, annoyed at him for saying such a thing, despite the fact that her eyes went wide as she saw her FAVORITE jutsu contained within it."Naruto, I'm sorry to say it again, but we're just-

Naruto sighed in return as he finished her sentence. 'Just friends? Jeez, do you HAVE to always say that?" His blue eyes were sad now as he hung his head, only to bring it back up a second later, sounding somewhat miffed with her now, his blue eyes reflecting his anger now. " Yeah. Just friends. But why the hell won't you just accept my offer dammit! I mean, here I am, taking time outta MY training, and you're being to dang stubborn about it!Its driving me crazy!"

He angrily snorted as he began to turn around, and Sakura had to make a decision, FAST.

Sakura was about to tell him exactly what she had planned. To go and find Sasuke, hoping that he would let him train with her, DESPITE the fact that Kkashi had told her it was a no go, and that the training was for Sasuke only. After all, Asuma had told her that they were training pretty close to the village...

But when she saw the sad look in the eyes of Naruto, then that defiant spark, something made her change her mind, and made her WANT to train with him, and with the green scroll still held in her hand, she reached out to grab his hand, holding him back now, and stopping him from leaving.

Naruto turned to look over his shoulder, and Sakura could've _sworn _that his eyes were red, but then sh eblinked and it was gone, but the look he was giving her wasn't. It was a hurt look, mixed and filled with anger, sadness and pain as he spoke, sounding none too happy with her. "Sakura-chan. You REALLY need to be nicer to me than that. I'm not your lap dog. I'm my own person, and if you think you can just keep using me and abusing me like this, then you've go another thing coming. In other words, don't push it. So what's your answer?" Will you allow me to HELP train you over the month, or will you refuse my offer? I need and answer, and I need it NOW." And so pulled him into another hug, surprising Naruto even further as she wrapped her arms around him for the third time that day. Three hugs in one day, from your crush will do that to ya.

Then, taking a deep breath, she pulled away, and looked im square in the eye, tone apologetic as she spoke, her face showing her embarrassment for being so rude to him. "Nevermind. Its late, and I'm not thinking straight. What I MEANT to say was-Now a cheery expression lit her face as she spoke, and she gave him a thumbs up now as she went on,smiling brightly, as her mother watched from the top of the stairs. "I'd be happy to train with you for the full month. Consider your offer accepted." Now a semi-serious look appeared on her face, and as she asked him a question. "What was with the personality flip there?" Naruto smirked now, tired of keeping up his usual facade around her, letting it drop, the Kyuubi speaking for him ever since his eyes had turned red. "Bout time you figured it out. As I said before, I _choose_to be nice to you. But I won't be pushed around like a servant or a lackey. If you had kept on treating me like that, I'd have to challenge you to a fight. A REAL fight. And I know that I'd kick your butt easily, so that's why I wanna train you somewhat."

Sakura shivered at that, but it wasn't necesarily a bad shiver. _"Ooh! If this is the REAL Naruto, then I might just enjoy this next month..._

Yasha nodded, and smiled to herself as she closed the door to her room, glad that her daughter wasn't as stubborn as her father. "That's my girl. Now lets hope you can see what's right in front of you, instead of going after that awful emo Uchiha...

--

Naruto then turned around fully, tone intersted now."So I take it that you're accepting my offer?" Sakura nodded now, her tone cheery for some reason, which she didn't understand. "Yep! I hope you can teach me a lot!"

Then she started to laugh, as did Naruto, for reasons that the two did not understand. And it echoed long and loud into the night.

And unbeknownst to the two of them, a pair of yellow eyes were watching the entire scene, followed by a low chuckle, and the two of them didn't notice a thing, when a shadow creeped up behind them, and slipped a scroll into Naruto's back pocket, the man masking his presence, as well of as that of the scroll, perfectly...

--

Hinata sighed as she opened the door to her room, Naruto's jacket still hanging loosely over her shoulders, her thoughts still of her blond crush, remembering how sad he had seemed up on the stone faces, how...alone he seemed. "Naruto-kun...I wish you would just see what's in front of you sometimes...

Then an idea popped into her head, and a small smile lit her face as it formed in her mind. "I know! If Sakura doesn't want to train with him, then maybe...I could ask him if he wants to train with me!" And so, with that in mind, she crawled into bed, and wrapped the jacket about herself, as she pulled the blue covers over herself, and fell asleep in an instant, already looking forward to tomorrow...

--

Naruto held his head as he walked home, taking back control, smirking as he felt his new confidence rise within him, telling himself he was NEVER going to be ANYONES whipping boy ever again. "Ouch, my head. But that was SO worth it. No more being bossed around by her...


	4. The Training

The sound of a thousand chirping birds was heard from the training field that morning, followed by a loud crack as Naruto shoved a chakra covered hand into a boulder, the blond smirking as he drove another hole into the stone. _'Yes! Fifth time's the charm! I finally got the chakra control down just right!'_

Naruto was clad in a new outfit today, having for some reason decided to forgo his usual jumpsuit, for a black muscle shirt, and pair of black shorts, as the sun beat down on him, only to be covered by a cloud a moment later, as he yawned sleepily just finishing up his own early morning training, having put his nose straight to the grindstone as soon as he had gotten home, working on the scroll he had mysteriously found in his back pocket, and wondered if Kakashi had put it there. _'The Chidori... The same technique that he used on Zabuza...it sure packs a wallop...and it sure is draining..._

Despite his tiredness, he popped a food pill into his mouth, and breathed a deep sigh as his chakra was instantly restored, as he gazed upon the boulder on which he had been practicing. _'And I DEFINITETLY know that I can use it more than once..._

It was riddled with numerous holes and cracks.

Five holes to be exact. Five shots.

He glanced at his watch, and noted that it was now 8:00. Sakura was running late. And he was none too happy about that, this being the first day of their month long training session. "Jeez. Guess she slept in or something."

--

Sakura was a blur of movement as she shot out the door, clad in a pink halter top, and wearing a pair of tan jean shorts as she dashed down the streets. "AGH! Stupid alarm clock! I forgot to set it! I'm late!"

--

Then he heard the sound of footsteps behind him, and he turned round to see Hinata, now wearing his jacket in place of her own, and the sight of it made him smile, glad to know his gift had not gone to waste. He smiled and raised his hand in greeting, now noticing the blush on her cheeks, thanks to the fact that she was wearing his jacket. _'Eh? She's blushing. I wonder why?' _But instead he merely smiled and called out her name.

"Hey Hinata! So what brings you here so early?" The shy Hyuuga was still blushing as she approached him, now nervously tenting her fingers, after she folded his jacket and palced it under a nearby tree, revealing herself to be clad in a black t-shirt as she meekly spoke. "U-Um...I-I come here every morning t-to train...Would you like to h-help me train, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto looked around, and STILL saw no sign of Sakura, and had to admit, he WAS curious about how well he would fare against Hinata. _'Meh. She'll get here eventually. I guess it won't be so bad to train with Hinata, but I had better keep the chidori a secret, at least until the finals.' _The blushing girl had no idea what he was thinking, and as he put his hand to his head, she thought he was annoyed with her, and quickly stammered out a response to correct what she thought was a mistake. "I-If y-you don't w-want to-

Naruto shook his head, and placed a hand on her shoulder, nearly making the poor Hyuuga faint from the touch, her head swirling dizzily as he spoke, scarecely beleiveing her ears."Nah, theres nothing wrong with it! I'd love to get in some training, especially with you! After all, we ARE going to have to fight in the Chunin Exams, so I want to know what I'm going to be going up against."

Hinata paled as she realized that he was right. _'Oh...I almost forgot..._ She was either going to have to fight Sakura or Naruto first, and she REALLY didn' want to fight her beloved blond. Personally, she KNEW that she could handle Sakura easily, but the thought of fighting her crush, of possibly _hurting him, _was not something that she liked to think about.

"I-I know, but I would still like y-your help in training. So...would you help me? So I can p-prove that I-I w-wont go back on m-my word, j-just l-like you? My Nindo? My N-Ninja W-Way?"

Now THAT piqued Naruto's interest, as he remembered her defiantly shouting to Neji that she would never forgive him, nor go back on her word. _'Oh yeah... She has the same Nindo as me. I guess that's something we share..._

His mind being made up now, he snapped his fingers, and extended a hand to her, a goofy grin on his face, as he took her hand in his own and shook, making a faint pink blush appear on Hinata's cheeks as spoke. "Allrighty then! Welcome to Naruto Uzumaki's training program!"

--

Sakura arrived at the training field, five minutes later and gaped as she saw the boulder, and the torn up earth. "Wow. Naruto must have started without me. But where is he now?"

"Ahem."

Sakura looked over her shoulder to see one of Naruto's clones, who handed her a letter, before dissapearing in a poof smoke. It read:

_Sakura-chan-_

_Hinata wanted me to train with her too, and we just practiced the tree climbing execise, and boy you shoulda seen her! She really got the hang of it quickly! Anyway, Hinata wanted to show me how to walk on water as a thank you. In other words, we're at the hot springs! _

_Hope ya get this!_

_Naruto_

The Haruno felt odd as she read the letter, letting it drop to the ground as she finished it. She felt...Jealous? _'No! I love Sasuke-kun! So why am I jealous of him spending time with Hinata? Ugh! This is so confusing! I'll just meet him and the hot springs!'_

_--_

Naruto yelped in pain as he leapt out of the hot water for what seemed like the millionth time, the hot water dripping of his tan arms, making Hinata cringe as from were she sat, not liking that he was getting burned so badly. "OW! HOT! HOT! HOT!" He gasped in air as he landed on the tiled floor, and shot her a pleading glare as a elderley looking man with long hair passed by, doing a double take as he saw Naruto, who was begging Hinata for more tips. "Come on! How do you do this-OOF!"

Hinata gaped as she watched said 'old man' shove his outstretched fingers, each one covered in purple flame, into Naruto's stomach, releasing the accursed seal that Orochimaru had placed on him. "FIVE PRONGED SEAL RELEASE!"

--

Naruto awoke later, to find Hinata and the old man staring down at him. Hinata breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she saw that he was okay, and the man nodded once before rising to his feet, exposing the large scroll he wore on his back. "Well, I'm outta here."

Naruto would have none of that, and leapt to his feet, angrily jabbing his finger at the man, who sighed as he kept on walking. "HEY! Get back here! What did you just do?! And who the blazes are you?!"

BIG Mistake.

Naruto and Hinata looked on with deadpanned expressions as Jiraiya did that reaaaaally weird dance of his, shouting out who he was at the very end of the stupid dance. Naruto shook his head at this, as he noticed the red Make out paradise book held in the left hand of the Sanin. "No way. You're just some old pervert. The REAL Jiraiya is way cooler."

A tick mark appeared on Jiraiya's head at this. "SAY WHAT?! WHAT HAVE THEY BEEN TEACHING YOU KIDS IN NINJA SCHOOL?!"

Now Naruto was peeved, as bopped Jiraiya over the head, shouting his own reply. "How to NOT be pereverts!" And he began to argue with Naruto, while Hinata was stiffling a giggling fit over their antics. _'Naruto-kun...You're such a hothead..._

"Both of you! Take it easy!"

Naruto broke of his angry glaring contest with Jiraiya, and turned to see an out of breath Sakura, who had her hands on her knees, and she looked none to happy, as she slowly walked forward, looking at Jiraiya with a keen eye, then shaking her head a moment later. "Hmm...Nope. He's not Jiraiya. He's just an old pervert."

Annoyed beyond belief now, Jiraiya whipped out the large scroll, and slammmed it on the ground, the force of the imapct opening it, revealing it to be a contract summoning scroll for frogs, that had three other smaller scrolls within it. "See you stupid gaki's! I AM Jiraiya!"

NOW the three jaw dropped, not believing their luck, and Sakura taking the initiative as Naruto whispered an idea into her ear. Sakura smirked evily as she eyed up the legendary sanin, as she pulled out a whistle from one of her jean pockets. "Let's make a deal. You train us, for one month, and we won't bust your old ass for peeping, which I can TELL you were doing. Unless of course you enjoy being beat up by a bunch of angry girls...

Jiraiay paled. He certainly did not like that. "Ugh...I never shoulda helped that kid out...Fine... You three are hereby made my students for the month. Let's get started."

Naruto shool his head rapidly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Wait a sec! I have to finish the water walking jutsu!" Now Sakura chimed in, none to happy at being left out. "YEAH! AND SO DO I!"


	5. In Hot Water

**Naruto's going to have two bloodlines in this fic. Vote on my poll to choose what you guys and gals want them to be!**

Naruto took a deep breath as he stepped out onto the water, Hinata standing at the far edge of the spring, patiently waiting for him to come to her, just as Jiraiya had instructed him. "Okay, now just make sure you keep adjusting the chakra control in your feet. You have to contstantly adjust it, otherwise you'll just fall in again. This is MUCH more difficult than a mere tree climinb excercise, in which all you have to do is keep a steady flow of chakra to your feet."

Sakura nodded as she watched Naruto stand on the water, unsteadily wobbling on his feet, as windmilled his arms to keep his balance, shouting at Hinata to stay where she was, after she took a step forward. "There you go! Now just keep it up, and see if you can get to Hinata without falling in again. After all, you promised that you'd make it on the first try right? No going back on your Nindo Naruto!"

Hinata glared at Sakura, and responded with some encouragement of her own, not wanting to be outdone here. "Come on Naruto! You can do it! You believed in me before, and I believe in you now! So s-show us w-what y-you can d-do!" _'Dang it! I can't seem to shake that stutter!'_

The blond smirked at the encouragement, surprised once more to have Sakura cheering him on, and his smirk turned into a wide grin at Hinata's bold declaration. _'Hmm...She's certainly cheery today. Oh well, I'll think about that later. If Hinata's cheering me on...then... I... Gotta...focus..._

Shakily, he took one step forward, then another, wobbling unsteadily at first, then with more balance for every step he took, slowly drawing nearer to her with every step. "Hey! I think I'm getting the hang of this!" Jiraiya quirked a gray eyebrow as he watched Naruto, wh was now less than three step away from reaching Hinata. _'Incredible. He's already getting the hang of it. This kid is really something else. At this rate he might even awaken his blood lines before the finals..._

_--_

Naruto smirked as he took another step forward, and reached Hinata, gently tapping her on the shoulder, and standing proud and tall on the water, as he pumped his other hand into the air, his fingers clenched into a fist, his voice gleeful. "AHA! I did it! Yes! I can walk on-WHOA!" The cause of his startled exclamation was Hinata, who he was forced to catch under the arms with his left, then right, hands after she gave a startled cry of surprise, her eyes going wide as they started to tilt forward, and unable to stop it. "Naruto-kun, we're going to- SPLASH!

Naruto's last second catch had put him off balance, and as a result, he was unable to support Hinata for more than a second, and as result, she fell into the water, dragging him with her a moment later, as he fell of balance, and the two plunged into the now warm water, Naruto falling atop Hinata as they submerged, arms instinctively going around her waist to protect her, from some unknown threat.

Hey, he's a hyperactive idiot when it comes to love. What do you expect?

The Hyuuga had already overused much of her chakra from standing on the water for so long, and she had just used up the very last of it, and Naruto hadn't noticed until she shouted in surprise. End result: SPLASH!

Naruto winced as he fell atop Hinata, her nose brushing against his, and the two of them froze, both of their faces going beet red, then they were enveloped by the warm liquid, and he winced as he felt the hot liquid burn his skin, making him hold Hinata tightly, as he shoved his feet off of the bottom, rocketing him out of the water, landing atop it perfectly, Hinata still held tightly to his chest as he yelped in pain, unaware of his head resting against hers, ATOP hers. "YEOW! HOOOOT! It feels like I'm on fire!" Then he heard a small happy sigh from Hinata, and instinctively began to let go, his arms releasing their hold around her waist-

But she did not, holding him there tightly, not wanting to let go, but afraid that she would have to, for she could barely breath from embarrassment, or from fear _'Say something! Anything!' _But all she managed was her usual stammer. "Nartuo-kun...I...um...

The he looked down, and she looked up, and her cheeks turned a bright pink as she saw how close they were, their faces only inches apart, a faint red blush on Naruto's face as well as the dense blond finally noticed the close proximity, sounding nervous and hesitant at this, and beginning to pull his face away, saddening Hinata greatly, her window of opportunity closing rapidly, and she never knew if she would get this moment back, ever again. "Hinata, why are you still-

But she couldn't speak, and a tear fell out of her pale eyes, then another, and another, furious at her meekness and shyness. _'Stupid! I'm so stupid! Why can't I say anything?! Why can't I DO anything?! Its not fair!'_

The tears confused Naruto HORRIBLY, and he had no idea of what to do, as Hinata began to cry openly overly frustrated at herself, and unable to do anything but cry at this point in time, as she buried her head into his chest, choking out the words in her misery and sorrow. "Its(sob)not(sob)fair!"

--

Sakura felt something stir in her chest as she watched Naruto leap up out of the water, Hinata held tightly in his arms. And she stifled a gasp as Hinata started to cry as she realized what it was. Jealousy. She was actually _jealous _of Hinata right now! _'No way! I can't be jealous! I love Sasuke-_But her inner self argued against it. **"Do you really? What has he ever done for you? He certainly didn't buy you a rose and two REALLY expensive jutsu scrolls! All he EVER did, and still DOES, is say how annoying you are! Where's the love in that sister?! Point it out for me if you want, because I sure don't see it!"**

Jiraiya however, was LOVING this, and was quickly making notes, to use in his latest book, as he looked from Naruto and Hinata to the fuming Sakura. _'Dear Kami! This is literary gold right here! A crying girl, an uncertain hero, and a jealous friend/soon to be second lover? GOLD I tell you! PURE GOLD!'_

_--_

Now Naruto wasn't a TOTAL idiot. He eventually overcame his shock enough to place his hands on Hinata's shoulders, and shake he gently amazed at how frail she seemed right now, how easily she could just break apart, depending on what he said. "Hinata! Did I hurt you underwater or something? Why are you crying?"

But she managed only a vigorous shake of her head, and wailed into his soaked msucle shirt once more. Now Naruto was becoming annoyed, and he shook Hinata again, tone insistent now. "Come on Hinata! You can tell me!"

She shook her head and snapped it up, as in her anger, she shouted out the words. "No I can't!" You'll hate me if I tell you I l-

Then she turned BEET red and slapped her hands over her mouth, and started crying again, as she knew that even Naruto could figure out what she had just said.

And he did. So he spoke, tone disbelieving.

"How long?"

Hinata raised her head slightly, confused now. "Huh?"

"How long have you-

NOW she got it, and buried her head in his chest again shaking her head as she spoke, still cursing herself for being so meek and shy. "Since the Academy." Naruto was taken aback by this, and merely stared down at her, finding himself mute, as Hinata, the water still dripping out of her short hair, nervously looked up at him. "So d-do you s-see? I've always l-l-l- She couldn't say it.

But NARUTO did, as he placed a hand under her chin, a warm smile on his face, still amazed that someone had loved him for this long, and he had been so blind to it. "You've loved me since they first time you saw me, is that it?"

Poor Hinata. She felt like she was going to faint right then and there, now that her secret was out in the open, whilst she did mange a shaky nod. "Uh-huh."

Now Naruto began to laugh, and he gently placed his arms back around her, making Hinata turn bright pink from the hug, as now HE was hugging her back, his head resting on her own forehead to forehead. "Thanks Hinata-chan. Sorry I didn't pick up on it awhile ago."

But it still didn't anwser her unspoken question.

Did he love her?

**You'll find out in the next chapter...**


	6. An Idiot's Confession

**OKAY EVERYONE! NARUTO WILL HAVE THE SHARINGAN, AND KIMIMARU'S BLOODLINE!**

Naruto's mind was a whirlwind of emotions as he returned Hinata's hug, now noticing just how close their faces where, especially with his forehead resting against hers. Very CLOSE. It felt...nice, and all it would take was a small movement- _'Wow...She's so close I could just...Whoa. I'm actually thinking about-But it WOULD let me-AGH! Too many questions! I'm so mixed up here!'_

Hinata turned even redder than ever before, as she saw his blue eyes flicker down to her lips, then back up to her pale eyes, realizing that he was actually THINKING of- _'Is he actually thinking of-Will he-ACK! The suspense is KILLING me!'_

Naruto had no IDEA what to do or say, and since Sakura was too busy arguing with herself, and Jiraiya was eagerly jotting down notes, the poor blond was on his own now. And he simply didn't know what to do or say. Plus, truth betold, he DID think that Hinata was kinda cute, especially right now, without her heavy jacket on, and the fact that she was staring at him with those lovely pale eyes... _'I think I'm falling for her..._

And after a minute of resting his head against Hinata's, enjoying the warm, strange feeling it gave him, Naruto finally managed to gather himself up enough to speak, stammering out the words, much like she always did whenever she talked to him."Um... Hinata...a-about w-what you said, er...this is gonna sound really-Um... r-r-random, but r-r-right now you look really c-c-c-

Hinata's pale orbs strayed up to his, before looking back down at her feet, hanging on every word he was TRYING to say, and praying to Kami that she wouldn't faint here. She REALLY wanted to hear what he was trying to say, and blinked once, snapping his focus back onto her, as he mumbled the words, just BARELY loud enouhg for her to hear, and her only, making Sakura livid that se was unable to pick up the words. and nervously grind her teeth. "Oh man! Why am I so worried all of a sudden? It's not like-

--

Hinata's cheeks turned a bright pink as he spoke, and she nervously swayed her slim frame from side to side as she spoke, unable to tent her fingers, due to the fact that she was afraid to let him go, and only held him tighter as she heard the words."Cute. I think you're really cute Hinata."

_'He thinks I'm cute...Naruto-kun actually said I look cute... _That made her feel HEAPS better, but she still needed to know whether he loved her as much as she loved him, and desptie her meekness, the Hyuuga was _determined _to get an answer out of him, even if it was at a slow pace, and even if it took all day. _'I-I can't b-back down h-here! I-If I d-do, then Sakura might-_

The thought of Sakura stealing Naruto from her, ESPECIALLY if Hinata gave up a golden opportunity like this, galvanized the shy girl. _'No! T-This i-is m-my window of opportunity! I have t-to be bolder, like I was when I-I b-beat Neji!' _She remembered the praise her father had lavished on her when he found out about her victory over the Hyuuga prodigy, and she would never forget the proud look in his eyes, when he had proudly re declared that she was certainly going to be the heir to the Hyuuga Clan once more. "After all, if you've changed this much Hinata, my strong daughter, then the future of our clan is in good hands. And you say its all thanks to this Naruto? Then I shall have to meet him in person and give him my regards."

While it was true that she had changed dramatically, and was now more outspoken around everyone else, when she was around Naruto, she was still the same old Hinata. shy and meek as ever. And so she gathered up what little boldness she had left, and murmured out a reply of her own, refusing to look him square in the eye, lest she should faint. "W-why d-do you t-think I-I-I'm c-cute?"

Now Naruto was BEET red, as he knew that he was going to be forced to admit his secret. _'Oh crap! I'm gonna have to tell her..._After all, Sakura was only his SECOND crush...

--

Jiraiya smirked as HIS hearing was more than sharp enough to pick up what Naruto had just said. And he could tell that this might very well cause problems in the future. But he shrugged as he watched Sakura step out onto the water, grabbing her wrist in an instant, and ignoring the glare she gave him his tone sounding apologetic, when in reality, he was certainly not, holding her firmly as she struggled in his grip. "Sorry missy. But I'd hate for you to interrupt such a tender moment." _'Those two...It ALMOST reminds me of how Tsunade and I were when we were kids..._

_--_

Naruto sighed as he mumbled again, making Hinata lean lean her body closer into his, in an attempt to hear what he said. But still even then, she only caught snippets of what he said. "Crush-not-kura-first." And so she mumbled out an apology asking him to repeat himself, which was VERY difficult for the poor blond to do. After all he had BARELY said it the first time!

"C-could you s-say it again? I'm s-sorry b-but I d-didn't hear you."Now Naruto mumbled the words softly, so she COULD hear him, and they made her face fall. "Sakura wasn't my first crush."

Hinata's face fell, but lit up with joy as he went on, now looking him straight in the eye, his blue eyes locking with her plae orbs. "You were Hinata. YOU were my first crush. And I sorta had...er STILL have a crush on you." Then he did the thing she NEVER thought he would EVER do.

He kissed her. Right on the lips.


	7. You Are My Goal Naruto!

Hinata's face turned an impossibly bright shade of pink as soon as Naruto kissed her, and she found herself at a loss for words as he moved his lips over her own, gently covering them, as she felt him breathe through his nose, the warm air tickling her face, as she stood stone still her plae eyes going wide from the unexpected kiss. Sure she had WANTED him to kiss her, but she had _never, _not in her wildest dreams, thought that he would actually KISS her!

Her. The shy girl. The one who was always meek and bashful around him, had taken a gamble and shown just a little shred of boldness, and she had been well rewarded for it. Then her mind caught up with her, and she realized exactly what he had done, what he was DOING right here and now.

'_He's kissing me...Naruto-kun is actually kissing me! I can't believe it! It feels...incredible..._

And then as quickly as he kissed her, he broke it, leaving Hinata slightly out of breath, a stunned expression on her face. But then that expression turned into one of pure joy, and Naruto's ocean blue eyes widened in surprise as she reached up, gently pulling on his blond hair, and bringing his face closer to hers. Now when she spoke, Hinata sounded A LOT less hesitant. "Can w-we do that again?"

He smiled as he withdrew his face a few inches and brought his lips to the skin on the side of her round face, tinted pink from being so flustered. It turned even pinker at the touch of his lips. The rosiness added to her cheeks gave her a cute, angelic appearance, and Naruto's expression softened even more when he noticed this as he tilted Hinata's face to his own with his gloved hand on her chin. "Hinata. I just kissed YOU. You don't have to ask me if you can kiss me back."

She blushed at this, despite his gentle tone, but then a second latter, she yanked his head down, her soft lips meeting his own, as she pushed herself against h im, and DELIBERATELY knocked him off balance, making him arch a blond eyebrow as they hung in the air for a moment, then his arms wrapped around her waist as they splashed into the liquid. _'Wow. One kiss, and she's WAY more confident...Nice!'_

They both ignored the hot water as they fell backward, not caring that it was scalding hot, as they kissed beneath the surface, enjoying the moment, despite the high temperature. In fact, they were so caught up in each other that they didn't even feel it, staring right into each other's eyes, pale lavender meeting sapphire blue. Her eyes danced with flames of excitement, joy, happiness, and unbridled affection for her blond crush, while Naruto's blue eyes held intense happiness, as Hinata wrapped her arms around his neck, angling her head to the right, deepening the kiss as she did so.

Hinata gave out a content sigh as they breathed through each others mouths, neither of them in any sort of hurry to surface as the kiss that warmed her to the very core. She didn't care that it was boiling, she'd gladly walk through the very flames of hell for the way that kiss made her feel. She felt as if she could fly—no, she _was_ flying—miles above the world on a cloud of soft cotton.

So much was told through this glorious kiss their FIRST kiss. Things were said in it that words couldn't even _begin_to say, and both of them felt the same sensation of joy and bliss. If pictures were worth a thousand words, then the first kiss between Naruto Uzuamki and Hinata Hyuuga was worth FAR more than a million.

It was simply wonderful.

--

Jiraiya looked at his watch and quirked an eyebrow as he saw that 10 minutes had passed, then cupped a hnad over his mouth, while the other still held Sakura's wrist. "Okay you two! I think that's enough for now! We have some training to be doing!"

Almost as if on cue, their heads popped out of the water, the warm liquid dripping of thier faces, and they each laughed at the wet dog look of the other, before they each gave the Sanin a bright smile as they began swam towards the bank, now fully used to the overwhelming heat. Naruto was the firs tto reach it, and he smiled as he reached down a hand for Hinata, beaming brightly at her, as Jiraiya released Sakura's wrist. "Need a hand Hina-chan?"

His new girlfriend blushed slightly at the new nickname, her cheeks turning a pale pink as she nodded, and reached up a hand, giggling slightly as Naruto grasped her hand inhis own, then yanked her up out of the water, and right into his arms, holding her by the waist as she landed softly in front of him.

For a second they just stood there like that, their head resting on each others, as Naruto nuzzled his nose against hers, making her smile warmly at him. Then he sucked in a deep breath as he pulled away, now holding both her hands, cheery as can be as her face lit up at his words. "Okay! Are you ready to train?" She smiled and nodded eagerly.

NOW she could train, train with HIM to her hearts content, as just being around him filled her wih energy. "Yes. Let's work hard, Naruto-kun! Lets train till we drop!"

Again Jiraiya smiled at their youthful energy, reminding him once again of Tsunade. "I have GOT to go find her one of these days. Wait a second." He smirked evilly and rubbed his hands together as an idea formed in his head It could _technically _count as training... _'All right! That could just work!'_

_--_

Sakura shakily took a step forward on the water, and let out a deep breath to calm herself as one foot sank down slightly. "Man. This is harder than it looks." Naruto nodded sagely as he reached out to adjust her stance, pulling out her lef tleg slightly, increasing her degree of balance, giving her instructions as he went. "You're telling me. I had a even worse time of it before." Now he held up a finger in front of her face as he leaned back up.

And she blushed slightly as she saw how close he was standing to her, making her heart skip a beat slightly, as Hinata went through hand seal training with Jiraiya, who had told her that she needed to up her speed on the signs, or she would be caught unprepared before she finished a jutsu. "There we go! Now keep that focus! Perfect! You're a natural at this!"

--

Sakura was all ears as Naruto went on."It helps if you picture a goal at the other end. That's what I did with Hinata, and BINGO!" He clapped his hands together now, nearly making her fall backward, as she felt his hand on her back, whilst he pulled her back up and steadied her, still speaking, not paying attention to the slight pink blush on her cheeks. "I got it down pat! The chakra part is easy, its just the balance part you have to worry about." He finished steadying her, and Sakura felt a pang of guilt and...something that felt like regret as he removed his hand from her back. _'What is he DOING today? Almost everything he does makes my heart beat a little- no a LOT faster..._Despite the flash of annoyance Sakura received from hearing him mention Hinata, she listened intently to his words, and closed her eyes as he stepped off to one side.

_'Okay. A goal. That should be no problem. I'll just picutre Sasuke, and-huh?' _As she thought, she was surprised to see that she could NOT picture Sasuke, and instead she kept picutring Naruto waiting for her at the other end of the spring, calling out encouragement to her. Frowning, she tried to picute Sasuke doing the same, but all she got was that annoyed look he had given her at the Chunin Exam Prelims. HE never gave her encouragement. '_But Naruto alwasy did. He was alwasy-IS alasy doing his best to help me, cheer me up, and I just pretty much spit in his face each time..._

So for a moment, she made a snap decision, tired of arguing with ehrself if it meant getting in the way of her training_. 'Okay then, if its easier to picture Naruto waiting for me at the end_-The image of Sasuke now faded away, and was replaced by the smiling blond_-Then that's who I'll focus on! Getting to Naruto!'_

_--_

Naruto turned away from watching Hinata practice with Jiraiya, and looked over his shoulder at Sakura, who slowly opened her green eyes, and motioned for him to come closer, which he did, his feet creating small ripples on the water as he stepped in front of her again, making her cheeks turn pink once more. "Huh? What is it?" In response, she took a deep breath and spoke, still blushing as she pointed to the other side of the spring, which was still a long way off for her. "Could you stand over there for me...and um...encourage me like before? I think that...er... might help me master this."

Naruto's brow furrowed for a second, then he shrugged nonchalantly as he began to walk away from her, his long strides across the water bringing him to the other side of the spring in mere moments, and he noticed he was getting a questioning look from Hinata. But he shrugged at her, and she nodded as she saw that he was just helping Sakura train, and although that annoyed her somewhat, she returned to her training, knowing that he was just being himself. _'And I can't make him change because of me. That would be so mean. No. I won't force him to do anything.'_

_--_

Naruto cleared his throat before he spoke, ready to cheer on Sakura, as she had requested. "Come on Sakura-chan. Its all about baby steps. Slow and steady. There's no hurry."

She smiled somewhat as she took one step forward, then another, careful to maintain her balance now, ignoring everything else, the ripples of water, the sounds of Hinata and Jiraiya training, Everything. Just focusing on Naruto now, as everything faded to black around her, indicating her heightened concentration. _'Okay. Focus. Naruto is the goal.'_

"Good. That's the way. You have plenty of chakra left, so just take your-

His blue eyes widened as she stumbled and lost her balance for a moment, and windmilled her amrs rapidly, her green eyes screaming out frustration as she teetered back and forth, her mouth set in a startled/worried expression. Instinctively, Naruto took a step forward, but then Sakura's emerald gaze focused on him, and she shouted at him pleadingly.

"No! Please-Now her arms stopped spinning as she somehow regained her balance, and and panted heavily, resting her hands on her knees as her gaze bored into his. "Stay there! My goal is-

Three steps now.

Naruto clapped his hands encouragingly. "Keep going! You'll get there at no time at this pace!"

But then Sakura went on, and her heartfelt words made his heart skip a beat, and he could scarcely believe his ears and eyes, as he saw a tear leak from one emerald eye, her voice becoming broken now."To get to you. Naruto YOU are my goal!"


	8. Reluctant Acceptance

Naruto gaped a bit as Sakura cried out her words, then shook his head to clear the cobwebs as she slowly made her way to him, still wobbling unsteadily on the water. "Me? Is that why you wanted me to stand at this end? Because I'm your goal all of a sudden? What brought this on?"

She nodded as she took three more unsteady steps forward, her green gaze locked straight on him, and him alone. "You got me. I tried to picture Sasuke-_'Hmm? She didn't use 'kun'..._

But he shrugged that off as she went on, sounding oddly happy now as another tear fell from her face."But I couldn't. You just kept popping up in my head. And I couldn't stop thinking about you...

Again she windmilled, shooting him a tearful glare as he made a move forward, afraid that she would fall into the hot water. "NO! Stay there! I have to come to you! Its not the same if you come to me! So stay put Naruto!"

In response, she heard him mumble the words. "What-How-Why- Are you screwing with me?" She rapidly shook her head as she saw the anger flash in his eyes, as he went on, angrily clenching one hand into a fist as he hissed out the anrgy words. "Becasue if you are, and you act like this was just a joke- "No I'm not! I'll prove it!" She then regained her balance, still struggling with herself, AND her obsession/love with Sasuke, as the thoughts raged in her head.

_'He'll never look at me the way Naruto does...But Sasuke's so cool...and so cold. He will NEVER open up to me...Naruto would open up to me...But he's just a loser...Yeah, a loser who give you EXPENSIVE gives...AND he loves you... Sasuke NEVER will..._

All these thoughts and more ricocheted around in her mind as she took these slow unsteady steps forward, trying desperately not to fall. "Just let me prove it! I won't be a deadweight anymore! I won't(stumble) drag you down! I swear it!" She was nearly there now, but not noticing it yet, her mind still waging war with itself, logic against her heart. _'I can't fall. I won't-Whoa!'_

Much to her shock, she then lost control of her chakra for a pivotal moment, and that cost her, as the water rippled unsteadily under her, causing her to stumble forward, windmilling her arms rapidly but to no avail. "No! I'm gonna- She tilted forward...

Right into Naruto's open arms, as he caught her, and for a moment she thought that he had moved, and a hurt expression appeared on her face and sorrow was more than evident in her voice. She had failed. She had forced him to catch her. She was STILL just a dead weight to him. "Naruto! I told you not to- But then he grinned and jerked his head over his shoulder. "Have a look." Confused, she looked behind him, and saw the pavement of the other end of the spring. "Huh? I- Her eyes widened as she realized that...

She had made it! And feelings of intense happiness welled up inside her, drowning out what little resistance her stupid fangirl side was still putting up, and SLAUGHTERING them to little insignificant pieces and shreds. _'I did it! I really did it! CHA! I DID IT ALL BY MY SELF! AND NARUTO WAS CHEERING ME ON THE WHOLE TIME!!'_

He smiled down at her, holding her under her arms, as she looked up at him, a light blush on her face now as he gave her that wide grin of his. "Congrats Sakura-chan. You did it."

"I did, didn't I?" And they both grinned at each other, speaking simultaneously as he lifted her up, and set her on her feet, still holding her under her arms. Which then went around her back as she grabbed him in a hug, her arms now around his neck.

"Goal!"

Then she started to giggle, for some strange reason, and it must have been contagious, because Naruto was soon snickering as well, and then they couldn't hold it back anymore, throwing their heads back and laughing, long and hard...

--

Hinata's head turned at their loud declaration, and she stopped her training with Jiraiya. "Hmm?" And her eyes widened as she saw Sakura grab Naruto in a hug. "Naruto-kun... Feelings of despair and biref began to well up inside her, and Jiraiya's mouth close d, preventing himself from chastising her as he saw what was the cause of her distraction. And much to his surprise, he watched her clench her hands into fists, and his eyes widened as a pale yellow aura began to emenate from her. "Oh crap. Don't tell me she's a-

But then he heard Naruto whistle, and that snapped Hinata out of her grief, the yellow aura fading away as Naruto called out to her, jerked his head forward, indicating to her that he wanted her by his side. Which she gladly went to, Leaving Jiraiya to figure out what the blazes had just happened. "Oh man. I am SO staying on her good side...

--

Naruto looked from Sakura to Hinata, as his Hyuuga girlfriend appeared at his side. And he saw Sakura's eyes narrow at the sight of the Hyuuga, who defiantly glared back at her new rival for Naruto's love. _'Why you?!'_

_'No way! He's mine!'_And he knew that, judging by the glares the two girls were giving each other now, and the thick tension in the air he had a choice to make. The only problem was, he didn't know who to choose. Hinata, the one who had alwasy loved him, and was his very first crush? Or Sakura, the one who had FINALLY realized that she sort of liked him, and was warming up to him. _'AGH! I'm screwed either way-_

**"Oh? I see an easy way out of this."**

_"Eh? Whatcha talking about?"_

He grit his teeth in annoyance as the fox's deep laughter boomed out into his mind. **'Stupid kit. Just take them both. No harm no foul."**

_'NANI?! I can't do that! It aint right!'_

Again the deep booming laugh. **"And what 'ain't right' about it?" **Several minutes of silence passed, and the Demon lord chuckled as he felt the confusion of his vessel. **"See? There is nothing wrong with it. Now I've done my good deed for the day. Later Kit**." And before Naruto could protest further, he felt the presence of the Kyuubi fade from his mind.

_'Oh man! What am I gonna do?!'_

_--_

Hinata found her glare interrupted, as Naruto released one arm from Sakura, and grabbed her hand, gently intertwining his fingers in hers, and speaking, his voice and eyes, his very SOUL pleading with the two kunoichi, before they could even speak. And they BOTH noticed the tears that were beginning to drip out of his eyes. His voice was broken as he spoke "Don't. Don't make me choose between the two of you. I can't do it. I just can't."

And boy was he surprised, as Hinata stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, tone soft and pleading as well, as tears pooled in her pale eyes. "Don't (sniff) cry. Naruto-kun, don't cry. That makes me(sob) want to cry to. I would never make you choose Naruto-kun. I'll always be here for you. No matter what. I promise." Naruto sniffled slightly as he kissed her forehead, overjoyed at her willingness to compromise, and all just for him. "Thanks Hina-hime. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me."

She nodded as she leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek, then changed her mind, and gave him a soft peck on the lips, reveling int he warmt that it gave her, and enjoying Sakura's annoyed glare. "I already told you Naruto-kun. I'd do anything for you." Now she smiled brightly, causing him to do the same as Sakura rested her head against his chest, her body language indicating that she was willing to accept this as well. "Thanks you two. Thanks. For everything."

Then he finally ran out of chakra, and with a startled shout from each of them, and a loud roar of laughter from Jiraiya, they fell feet first into the hot water. And they each shouted out simultaneously, as they sprang out of the spring and onto the tiled floor..

"OW! HOT! HOT! HOOOOOOT!"


	9. Symptoms?

(The next day)

Jiraiya shook his head as Naruto showed Hinata a very special justu, one that he had bought especially for her. "Here Hina-hime, like this." She watched intently as he went through the seals, ending with the rooster seal, as he placed his hands together. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

_'I swear, he plays favorites with her..._

A second later, a dragon made of pure water burst into life, as he had already anticipated the lack of moisture, using the Hidden Mist Jutsu earlier. Hinata looked on in awe as the creature lowered its head and allowed Hinata to run her hand over its watery skin, the Hyuuga girl amazed at how smooth it was. "See? Its easy! Now lets see what you can-

He gaped as she had already gone through the seals, and he looked up as an even larger water dragon burst into life behind her, easily towering over his own, dwarfing it with its massive size, as he released the chakra and allowed the water to drop to the ground, Hinata following suit a moment later, the water from _her_dragon soaking the two of them, and Sakura through. The blond laughed as he shook the water off himself, before turning to Hinata, a wide grin on his face. "Okay. I think you know how to do this, after all, water IS your natural element."

She giggled at this, and he got a chaste kiss on the lips as a reward as she briefly pressed her body against his, ignoring the angry glare she received from Sakura, who was failing miserably as she tried the same jutsu. "That's because you're such a good teacher Naruto-kun."

He blinked for a moment, as his eyesight blurred, then returned to normal. _'That's happening a lot lately..._

But our blond here "You bet I am! Now lets see if you can do THIS!"

With a quick motion of his hands, he raised both hans over his head and taking one step to the left, whipped them down, as if he was holding a sword. "Wind Style: Slicing Hurracaine Blade!"

Hinata winced as she felt a massive wave of air pressure whoosh past her, and Jiraiya let out a startled curse as he spun to the left, and out of the way of the incoming wind, which tore a large furrow into the earth where he head been mere moments before. Angrily, he glared at his three students, none to happy with having nearly been sliced and diced. "Hey! Watch it!"

"Sorry Pervy Sage!"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

_'I swear, this month is gonna be the death of me..._

--

Naruto smirked triumphantly as looked down at the scar he had created, then frowned as he whipped around, just in time to deflect the vortex of water that came screaming at him, courtesy of Sakura, who had aimed it at Hinata intentionally. Luckily, Hinata was out of the range of the deadly attack, and she stuck out her tongue at the Haruno, as Naruto cut the giant whirpool of water in half, easily turning it into harmless water.

And boy, did he look mad. "Sakura. Why did you do that?"

In response, she merely smiled at him. "I wanted to see if you could cut through water with that blade. And I figured that an unexpected attack would work best." He snorted at this, giving her a reproaching glare as the nearly invisible blade vanished from his hands. "Don't lie to me. You were aiming for Hina-hime."

Sakura gulped at this, then nodded shakily wisely deciding not to lie and tick him off further. "Okay, you got me. I WAS aiming for her. But I wasn't trying to kill her, I swear!"

THAT Naruto believed. But he still didn't like what she had tried to do, as he gave Hinata's hand an affectionate squeeze. "Okay Sakura, but you STILL could have really hurt her. And I don't take kindly to ANYONE trying to harm my Hina-hime."

Hinata still loved it when he added that affectionate attachment at the end of her name. It still sent a silent thrill through her entire body every time he said it. It was his own special thing, that he used only when he spoke of HER.

And she loved it.

"Well she keeps hogging you! What else am I supposed to do?!" You've spent the entire day with her!" Now his cold blue eyes bored into hers. "Sakura. I was going to take you out on a date tonight. It was going to be a surprise, since you seemed to be putting up with Hinata so well. But now... I'm not so sure."

At this, Sakura turned beet red from embarassment, and murmured an apology, as Naruto ran a hand through his blond hair in exasperation. "Jeez. Okay. Now for the basics on Ki blasting...

--

Hours later, Naruto let out a deep sigh of exhaustion as the sun began to set. "Okay! That's enough for today! See you tomorrow Pervy Sage!" Jiraiya shook his head as he walked off in the opposite direction. "Just mae sure you three get plenty of sleep for tomorrow. I have a _special _training session in store for you three.

Naruto gulped at that, but shrugged it off as something to worry about later, as he turned to Sakura and Hinata, deciding who he wanted to take on that date. Hinata won over him easily. "Sakura, I'm going to have to take you out tomorrow. Hinata's _earned _a date with me, fair and square. I would have taken you out tonight, but after that, I think Hinata deserves it more."

He saw Sakura open her mouth to protest, but he soon silenced it with his own lips, making her eyes go wide for a moment, before she allowed herself to relax into the surprise kiss, letting out a soft whimper despite herself. Then he broke away, leaving her saddened, and wishing that the kiss had lasted longer.

"Don't worry Sakura. Tomorrow's date, if you don't try to kill Hinata, will be awesome. I promise."

And so Sakura had to content herself with that, but not before she grabbed his hand and looked up at him with her pleading green eyes. "Wait. Can you make it last longer? Please Naruto, it feels like I'm getting the short end of the stick here." He nodded sagely at this. "Sure. You don't have to ask for a kiss you know."

Now she gave him a charming smile, knowing that it would annoy Hinata intensely. "I know, but I don't want to kiss you unless YOU want-mmmm...

She allowed herself to give off a soft moan as he covered her lips with his own a second later, gently digging his hands into her back as he pulled her in for a soft kiss, which she just allowed to soak in, soaking up the moment, and enjoying it to its fullest, before she pressed her lips back against his, allowing her emotions full reign.

Short end of the stick or not, being kissed like this, being HELD like this, loved like this...

It felt Incredible...


	10. Fancy Date? Fancy Restaurant!

Naruto, clad in a dark black pair of khaki jeans, and wearing a red t-shirt, that emphasized his toned chest, calmly crossed his legs and closed his eyes, trying to meditate as he waited outside of the Hyuuga compound. He had been waiting for at least five minutes now, and was trying to keep himself occupied as Hinata had said that if they were going out on a super special date, then she wanted to wear something REALLY nice. "Okay, just breathe in, and out. In and-Ow."

Now, for what seemed like the tenth time, he felt sheer apin in his body, but this pain did not come from his muscles or his skin. Oddly enough, this pain was felt right in his bones, and nowhere else. "Not again...First my eyes, now this again?! What the heck is-

He experimentally flexed his hands, and fire coursed through the bones, as he manipulated his fingers. "Yeargh! That hurt!" His skin felt fine as long as he didn't move, but now, if he did, the bones, AND his skin were beginning to scream at him, making him bite his lip to keep himself from shouting out in pain,as he felt like he was on fire.

"Damn! Hot! Why the hell does my body feel so hot?!". But then, just as he thought he wouldn't be able to take it any more, scrunching his eyes closed as he opened his mouth to screa, the pain just...vanished. Confused, he opened his eyes, and hesitantly moved his hands, but no pain now.

He kicked out one leg.

Nothing. No pain whatsoever.

"Eh? It just stopped. Again...

What the blazes was going on here?

What the BLAZES indeed...

--

Then Hinata finally came out, and Naruto jaw dropped at the sight of what she was wearing, forgetting all about the pain he had felt earlier. She had really pulled out all the stops for this date. "Hinata...Wow. Holy freaking wow."

She smiled brightly as she twirled in place, revealing her outfit, a skintight black dress with straps that went around her back, showing off her tan skin and around her neck there was another strap, that helped to hold up the gorgeous black dress, whilst the front strained out somewhat, pushed out by her often hidden chest, rarely seen if at all, due to the thick jakcets she always wore.

Finally, to top it all of, the sexy dress ended just above her knees making the outfit PERFECT for her, as it also helped to show off her slender and smooth, long legs, and black high heels onher feet, that made her just as tall as was now, reaching the six foot mark.

All of this made our poor Naruto feel _terribly _under-dressed, what with the fac that THIS the outfit he was currently wearing was probably his nicest pair of clothes. And even if he DID have something nicer, odds are he probably wouldn't have worn it anyway.

He had never really felt the need to dress up. The long process of getting a suit or a tuxedo on, it all just seemed so pointless to him, and all it did was make him stiff and uncomfortable.

But he was wishing he WAS wearing a suit or at least something nicer than his red t-shirt and black jeans, as the sight of the radiant heiress truly was a sight to behold. "Oi, you look...

She smiled as she wafted over to him, deliberately swaying her hips from side as he strode forward, and then SHELL SHOCKED him, as she reachedup to her hair, and pulled off a WIG, revealing her real navy blue hair tied beneath it in a bun, held there by a single pin, which she reached up and then removed, allowing her shoulder length blue hair to fall down, cascading over her shoulders as her warm smile grew at the now awestruck look on his face at the sight of her long hair "Well Naruto-kun, how do I look?"

He finally picked up his jaw, recovering himself enough to finally finish his sentence. "Nice Hina-hime. REALLY nice. I like the long hair."

She smiled warmly at that, and Naruto felt another goofy grin coming on as she put her arm in his, ready to go on that special date that Sakura had foolishly lost. "Well than Naruto-kun, shall we go?"

He nodded as they set off, her head resting on his shoulder, as they began to walk down the streets, the sight of the beautiful Hinata drawing many envious stares from passerby, mostly male, and some unfortunate fellows were slapped across the face by THEIR dates, for staring at Hinta's ass, or at any other part of her.

"Why are you looking at her?!"

"Sorry dear!"

Those guys were in the doghouse tonight!

--

Hinata's pale eyes went wide from stunned awe and amazement as she saw where this special date was. He had taken her to her favorite restaurant, but she had been caught off guard nonetheless as her gaze fell over the five stars over the neon red sign. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe you go us reservations!" I love you!"

Naruto chuckled as she glomped him in a hug, kissing his cheek as she did so, making him glad he had decided to take her here, instead of Sakura. "Meh, Hina-hime. It was no big deal. I have friends in high places."

This prompted a curious look from her as she pulled away and tilted her head slightly to the right as she processed what he had said. "Nani? Friends in high places?"

It read: "The Konoha Garden! Serving only the Finest of the Leaf!"

She LOVED eating here, but that was easier said than done, as this place was often booked solid, thanks to the fine food that they served here. And she soon found out just HOW he had been able to get them a table, as she saw Kiba standing beside the door, a wide smile on his face as he saw her put two and two together. "Hey there you two. Right this way."

Kiba worked here part time...

He was one of Naruto's good friends...

Naruto nodded his thanks, handing Neji a scroll and a small notebook filled with notes. "There ya go."

He had bribed Kiba! That was so SWEET!

The Inuzuka nodded as he flipped open the book, revealing the detailed instructions on how to perform the water dragon jutsu. A smile lit Kiba's brown eyes, and stretched his face up in a smile as he closed the book. "Thanks! I knew I could count on you!"

Now he gestured again for them to enter, and they did so, as he led them to a table, the only free one there, while the others were crowded with various other couples and such.

With a quick glance, Naruto noticed Ten-Ten off to one side, leaning against the wall, as if she was waiting for someone, headphones jammed into her ears as she softly hummed to herself, resting herself against the wall as she crossed one bandaged arm over her good one. Kiba saw this, and looking up at the clock, sighed as he saw it was still 9:00. "Dang it! My shift doesn't end till 10:00!"

The he saw the curious looks he was getting from the two, and he blushed immediately running a hand through his brown hair, wishing he had his jacket on right now. But since this was a fancy restaurant, he had to wear proper uniform. In other words, a suit.

"So? She's just waiting for me!"

The new couple shook their heads, as did everyone else present, knowing all too well what Kiba was REALLY thinking, as he cast a quick glance in the direction of Tenten, who tossed her now non-bunned hair over her shoulder, the brown long locks finally staying their as her doe brown eyes met his.

And a spark passed between the two, who hadn't had much quality time, thanks to Kiba's new job.

She shot him a puppy dog pout, and the Inuzuka cursed his bad luck, mouthing the words, slowly and carefully so she could read them, repeating what he had said aloud earlier. "I have to work till 10."

Naruto laughed at the depressed look on Kiba's face as Ten-Ten sighed sadly, whilst he got them to a table, and gave them their menu's. "Gotta feel sorry for him.

"Hai. I do."

Then as they poured over the food list asking each other what they'd like, a voice interrupted them.

"Hey! What brings you two here?"

He had certainly been more cheerful ever since Ten-Ten worked up the nerve to ask him out.


	11. WRITERS NEEDED!

**ATTENTION! I have written too many stories, and now I need co-writers to help me with some of them! PARTICULARLY my BLEACH and DOT HACK fics! PM me, and show me your skill, and who knows? Maybe I'll let you help me with them! **

Naruto looked over his shoulder to see Kiba again, who was serving some more patrons. "Shouldn't you be working instead of chatting with us?" Kiba sighed sheepishly as he was called over to a table, his attention fixated once more upon his job.

"Yeah, you have a point. I'll see you guys later I guess."

It was a WONDERFUL date.

--

Naruto and Hinata were smiling warmly at each other as they walked home that night, hand in hand, as Hinata rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed with peace and serenity as they walked. "I had a wonderful time Naruto-kun," She murmured softly, and wore a wide grin as she said this.

He blushed, and looked away, chuckling as he did so."Aw shucks Hinata, it was nothing."

No sooner did he say this, than he turned and flashed her the peace sign, grinning widely. But all the same, I'm glad you liked it."

She nodded, and placed a chaste kiss upon his lips.

"Hai. It was the greatest night of my life."


End file.
